| 1. Miami |
Jake Long |
OT |
Michigan |
| Dolphins offensive Line coach Mike Maser has assured
management that Jake Long is the second coming of former Jaguar great
Tony Boselli, a player he coached and helped develop in Jacksonville.
And to the naysayers, yes, he can and will play left tackle at a
championship level. |
| 2. St. Louis |
Glenn Dorsey |
DT |
LSU |
| The Rams defensive staff really likes Chris Long, but they
love LSU tackle Glenn Dorsey. Look
for the Saints to try and move up to the two spot. But the Rams are
undersized inside and can not stop the run.
If medically cleared, Dorsey is their man |
| 3. Atlanta |
Chris Long |
DE |
Virginia |
| The Falcons will entertain offers, and obviously have
needs in many areas on both sides of the ball. But in the end, look for
them to resist the temptation, selecting Chris Long — both a great
football player and person. New
GM Tom Dimitroff gives the Falcons a strong presence in the personnel area. |
| 4. Oakland |
Darren McFadden |
RB |
Arkansas |
| Al Davis sees McFadden
as an Eric Dickerson-type back who will not only generate instant offense
for the Silver and Black, but who will also take some of the pressure off
developing signal-caller JaMarcus Russell. |
| 5. Kansas City |
Branden Albert |
OG |
Virginia |
| This is the person who the
Chiefs believe can be their left offensive tackle for the next dozen
years. But look for the Chiefs to make it make it at the No. 10 spot with the
Saints moving up and selecting their second option, Sedrick Ellis, to fill
their critical need at the nose tackle position |
| 6. NY Jets |
Keith Rivers |
LB |
USC |
| A very logical selection
given the fact that ILB starter Jonathan Vilma has taken his game to the
"Big Easy" and Bryan
Thomas slumped badly in 2007 on the outside. QB is a distinct possibility,
but the future is now for Tannenbaum and Mangini. |
| 7. New England |
Vernon Gholston |
DE |
Ohio St. |
| Danger Will Robinson! Absolutely
the most overrated player in this year's first round.
He put up some numbers, is strong and can run in a straight line.
But he's as big as he's going to get, doesn't dance every dance and is
very tight in the hips. |
| 8. Baltimore |
Matt Ryan |
QB |
Boston College |
| I
don't believe he is a franchise QB in the Bradshaw, Elway or Manning mold,
but I believe he is far more equipped then Alex Smith, David Carr,
Joey Harrington or Tim Couch at a similar stage of development. |
| 9. Cincinnati |
Chris Williams |
OT |
Vanderbilt |
| With Willie Anderson
entering his 13th season and the underrated Levi Brown his seventh, the Bengals
select Chris Williams. He's a player some professional
scouts compare to the Seahawks' Walter Jones.
I love his feet and playing smarts. |
| 10. New Orleans |
Sedrick Ellis |
DT |
USC |
| After failing in their
attempt to trade up and select Glenn Dorsey, the Saints give up a second
selection in the 2009 draft and move up to the fifth spot to select the
disruptive Ellis to take over for 13-year vet Hollis Thomas. |
| 11. Buffalo |
Derrick Harvey |
DE |
Florida |
| Dick Jauron's Bills can
certainly use some help at the wide receiver position, but with Derrick
Harvey still on the board at 11, Buffalo simply changed
gears and added a potential superstar to the Bills lineup. |
| 12. Denver |
Jerod Mayo |
LB |
Tennessee |
| Not many people have
mentioned the name Mayo in their early prognostications, but this player is an absolute
beast. Once he matures
physically, he will give the Broncos' beleaguered defense a much-needed boost. |
| 13. Carolina |
Jeff Otah |
OT |
Pittsburgh |
| With Jordan Gross expected
to test the free agent market next season and their top three ranked DE
prospects already off the board, the Panthers need to take this
opportunity to fill the potential huge void at the left offensive tackle
position. |
| 14. Chicago |
Rashard Mendenhall |
RB |
Illinois |
| Listen up Jerry, Cedric
Benson, the fourth player selected in the 2005 draft is just a guy!
Mendenhall would give the Bears a multi-talented back that would
give the Bears offense a much-needed shot in the arm. |
| 15. Detroit |
Ryan Clady |
OT |
Boise St. |
| Jon Kitna was sacked far
too many times in both the '06 and '07 seasons. I believe Ryan Clady is
going to need to improve his core body strength some, but in the end I
believe he has a chance to become the anchor of this offensive front for
many years to come. |
| 16. Arizona |
Leodis McKelvin |
CB |
Troy |
| The
Cardinals have a critical need at the position (Rod Hood / Eric Green) and
hope McKelvin can contribute early as a nickel back and returner before
earning a starting role at some point during the 2008 season. |
| 17. Kansas City |
Dominique Cromartie-Rodgers |
DB |
Tennessee St. |
| Cromartie is a huge talent
with outstanding cover potential who the Chiefs believe will quickly
assimilate himself into the starting line up.
The Chiefs simply do not believe that any of the remaining QBs on
the board have first-round playing potential. |
| 18. Houston |
Felix Jones |
RB |
Arkansas |
| Look for Jones, an
exciting zone back with the speed to get the corner, to step out of
McFadden's shadow and put up some big numbers. A perfect fit for this beleaguered
running game. |
| 19. Philadelphia |
Dan Connor |
LB |
Penn St. |
| Considered by many to be the most
complete LB produced by the Lions over the last few decades, by
midseason Connor should replace Omar Gaither at the Will backer position |
| 20. Tampa Bay |
Mike Jenkins |
CB |
South Florida |
| In terms of playing talent,
Mike Jenkins is among the top ten players in the country, but falls to Tampa Bay at twenty amid concerns regarding his practice habits and
dedication to the game. The only chink in his armor appear to be his
marginal ball skills. |
| 21. Washington |
Kenny Phillips |
S |
Miami |
| A big, physical safety, the
Redskins believe in time he will team with LaRon Landry to form the top
safety tandem in the league. I
like his movement (pedal, turns and range), size stature and playing
instincts. |
| 22. Dallas |
Jonathan Stewart |
RB |
Oregon |
| Jerry Jones would have loved to have moved up and selected what many experts believe to be the final piece
of the puzzle — Darren McFadden — but instead selects a physical,
downhill runner with both speed and power. |
| 23. Pittsburgh |
Quentin Groves |
LB |
Auburn |
| The
Steelers waited nearly five and a half hours to make their first
selection, and wasted little time in selecting Auburn's Quentin Groves, a
near perfect fit for their 3-4 defensive scheme. |
| 24. Tennessee |
Devin Thomas |
WR |
Michigan St. |
| The
Titans had hoped that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would have still been on
the board at twenty-four, but believe the selection of Devin Thomas will
go a long way to improving a receiving unit that scares nobody within the
NFL. |
| 25. Seattle |
Tyrell Johnson |
S |
Arkansas St. |
| The
name Tyrell Johnson might not be familiar to even the most sophisticated
draft fans, but I, along with many personnel people throughout
the league, believe that he may be the most talented safety
prospect in the country. |
| 26. Jacksonville |
Calais Campbell |
DE |
Miami |
| The acquisition of veterans
Troy Williamson and Jerry Porter allows the Jaguars to now direct their
focus to upgrading both offensive and defensive fronts. Although Calais Campbell did not have a particularly good '07 season, I see him as a player with a big upside. |
| 27. San Diego |
Sam Baker |
OT |
USC |
| Although not physically 100 percent for virtually the entire '07
season due to a hamstring injury, I really liked his approach to
the game, his versatility and playing intelligence. Better suited
physically (short arms) to play down inside. |
| 28. Dallas |
Malcolm Kelly |
WR |
Oklahoma |
| With
both of the top-rated safeties no longer available, the Cowboys hope
Michael Irvin (ran a 4.7 40-time in his pro workout) clone Malcolm Kelly can be
their receiver of the not-to-distant future. |
| 29. S.F. 49ers |
Aqib Talib |
CB |
Kansas |
| Walt Harris begins his 13th
season of play and a quality replacement must be found quickly.
Aqib Talib has that kind of athletic ability with his ball skills and zone
awareness, but lingering off-the-field indiscretions must be factored in
before making this critical decision. |
| 30. Green Bay |
Chris Johnson |
RB |
E. Carolina |
| Ryan Grant literally came
out of nowhere to become one of the top rookie performers in the league,
but time has proven that you can't have enough players at the running back
position. Head coach Mike
McCarthy also likes the speed and versatility that Chris Johnson
possesses. |
| 31. New England |
Forfeited pick |
|
|
|
| 32. NY Giants |
Kentwan Balmer |
DT |
N. Carolina |
| The term "best player available" has often applied to talented players selected in the
later stages of the first round, and in Kentwan Balmer the Giants have
that type of player. Although
he today offers little in terms of rushing the passer, the G-men love his
ability to restrict the inside run. |
Free Email Newsletter
